Warning over US salmonella outbreak

Travellers heading to the US for a holiday in the coming weeks have been warned about a salmonella outbreak.

Government officials reported cases in 21 states and Washington DC, with 200 people in the country contracting salmonella from contaminated raw tuna.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) said in a statement that two strains of the infection were found in tuna scraped from the backbone of the fish, titled salmonella Bareilly and salmonella Nchanga.

Figures confirm the Bareilly strain is more prevalent with 190 people infected, whereas 10 have fallen ill from the Nchanga strain.

No deaths have been reported, although 28 victims are being treated in hospital. The outbreak reaffirms the importance of medical cover, and people already suffering ill health are advised to arrange
pre-existing medical travel insurance before departing. Thankfully, those travelling with a medical condition can get great value cover from World First.

The two strains originally source from one outbreak strain, CDCP officials have said.

Health officials say the likely source of the infection is a frozen yellow tuna product known as Nakaochi Scrape, produced by Moon Marine USA Corp.